Spring 2021

About me



  • Assistant Professor, Shepherd University


  • Plant Ecophysiologist
    • climate change
    • physiology
    • evolution


  • Ecosystem Ecologist
    • global change

About me



  • Assistant Professor, Shepherd University
    • long road to academia








  • Love to teach!!


  • Community oriented projects to cure ‘Plant Blindness’
    • Tree Campus USA
    • Monarch Butterfly waystations
    • Urban tree benefits

What the heck is a capstone?


What the heck is a capstone?


Goals of the capstone class



  • Demonstrate your learning and knowledge of biology in an area of interest to you


  • Hone your written and oral communication skills


  • Manage a large-scale research project


  • Learn to critique peer work


  • Prepare job or graduate/professional school materials


  • Build your resume


Structure of the class: Lecture, workshops, and writing sessions



  • Always bring your laptop


  • Live lectures Mondays and Wednesdays
    • My goal is for the class to be as interactive as possible
    • Each week a checklist containing the schedule will be posted on Brightspace
    • Slides for each lecture will be posted on Sakai

Structure of the class: Lecture, workshops, and writing sessions



  • Always bring your laptop


  • Live lectures Mondays and Wednesdays
    • My goal is for the class to be as interactive as possible
    • Checklist with weekly schedule will be posted on Brightspace
    • Slides for each lecture will be posted on Sakai


  • Weekly live workshops during laboratory period
    • Focus on a specific topic in more detail
    • Attendance with is required
    • Workshops will vary in length but will typically involve a discussion, working with a partner, and/or activity assignment
    • Assignments due on Brightspace at 5pm on the Friday after the workshop**

Structure of the class: Lecture, workshops, and writing sessions



  • Always bring your laptop



  • Fridays are in-person Writing sessions
    • Writing is time intensive and requires discussion
    • I will be available as an in-person resource
    • Significant progress towards project completion will be made


  • A progress journal will be submitted at the end of each session (for points)

Course syllabus has a detailed schedule



This class has a lot of deadlines


Assignments with asterisks are required to pass the course

The capstone project


  • You will choose a biological topic of interest to you and prepare a semester-long research project consisting of:
    • A research paper
    • A scientific poster and presentation


  • This is not a book report: An important aspect of the project is its novelty—your goal is to synthesize information around a topic and draw conclusions about a hypothesis or question
    • you must address a scientific question


  • Your capstone project will be prepared as:
    • a data-driven scientific paper using original research, OR
    • a literature ‘meta-analysis’ (i.e., use some form of statistical analysis)


  • Various aspects of both parts will be evaluated and critiqued by me, other biology faculty members, and your classmates

How will the capstone paper be evaluated?


  • You will submit the paper in steps over the semester:
    • Topic declaration
    • Rough outline with references
    • Expanded outline
    • Rough draft
    • Final paper


  • These will be reviewed by me and feedback given


  • The rough draft of the paper will be critiqued by another biology faculty member and a classmate


  • The final draft of your capstone paper will be graded by me
    • rubric on Brightspace**

Capstone poster guidelines



  • The poster is a different format for presenting your capstone project—a condensed, easily understood version of your paper that you will present to the group


  • Also submitted in steps:
    • Rough draft (peer-reviewed in a workshop)
    • Final version
    • Poster presentation to class


  • You will present your poster in the final workshop class of the semester


  • The final poster and presentation will be graded by me
    • rubric on Brightspace

3-Minute Thesis competition


  • This semester we will run the first annual capstone 3-M Thesis


  • Internationally recognized competition that challenges students to present a compelling oration on their thesis and its significance in just 3 minutes
    • presented in language that anyone can understand


  • Rules:
    • One static PowerPoint slide (no transitions or animations)
    • no other media allowed
    • no props spoken word only (no poems, raps or songs)
    • strict 3 minute time limit
    • no audience questions


  • Will prepare you for your poster presentation

Course Grading


Evaluation of the capstone project and its various parts constitute the majority of your grade


Capstone deadlines on the syllabus (see astricks) must be met to pass the class


  • Lecture and workshop materials
    • Knowledge check #1 ()
    • Knowledge check #2 ()
    • Workshop activities (50 points)
    • Presentation evaluations ()


  • 3 Minute Thesis ()
  • Capstone Paper (% of Grade)
    • Scientific question and basic outline (10 points)
    • Full project outline (10 points)
    • Student peer review (10 points)
    • Rough draft (50 points)
    • Final draft (100 points)


  • Capstone poster
    • Poster (50 points)
    • Presentation (25 points)

A word about plagiarism…


We will devote at least one entire class to plagiarism—what it is and how to avoid it


  • Everything submitted in this course should be in your own words—it will be checked using multiple methods
    • utilize writing sessions to avoid plagiarism
    • utilize the writing center to avoid plagiarism
    • utilize peers to avoid plagiarism


  • Findings are tentative since the REAL explanation may not have been considered


  • Ignorance is not an excuse—it doesn’t matter if you plagiarize accidentally or intentionally!
    • Talk to me if you are unsure.

This is a challenging project!


  • BUT:
    • Its alright to feel daunted
    • We’re going to tackle it in steps together
    • I am here to help you in any way possible


  • You should have a major sense of accomplishment when your complete your capstone